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Every year, students start cramming for the multitude of tests that start as early as October. For those that want to get an extra head-start on all the tests— or perhaps just an inside look at the ones they’ll have to take sooner or later, here’s your guide. The ACT The ACT, or the American College Test, is a standardized, widely-accepted test with four parts. Unlike the SAT, the ACT includes not just verbal and mathematics skills, but science reasoning and reading as well. It includes 215 multiple-choice test questions, with approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes (not including breaks) to complete the test. In the U.S., the ACT is administered on five national test dates, in October, December, February, April, and June. In selected states, the ACT is also offered in late September. Many students seem to prefer the ACT to the SAT, because, unlike the SATs “aptitude” style of testing, the curriculum on the test is based on what you have learned in your class. Despite the fact that it is standardized for the entire country, the general concepts required of every high-schooler are featured on the ACT. Also, like other college-acceptance tests, the ACT can help prepare you for a career, using student profiling to determine your academic strengths and weaknesses, so you know ahead of time for college. Finally, the ACT is cheaper than the SAT, because it is created and administered by non-profit educators. The complete package, featuring both the test and the career/education planning is included with the cost of the test. The SAT What student hasn’t heard those dreaded three letters? Though the test-makers today say that it doesn’t stand for anything, once upon a time, SAT meant “Scholastic Assessment Test,” and before that, Scholastic Aptitude Test. If you heard the buzz in the recent past, there was some uneasiness regarding the testing of high school students’ “aptitude.” So now, the SAT is just three letters, referring to a bubble-in test that is taken nation-wide. The SAT comes in two parts— the SAT I Reasoning test, and the SAT II subject matter test. The SAT I comes only in two parts—Math and Verbal, and despite the name, in the Verbal section you don’t have to write a single word. The SAT II, on the other hand, is slightly more oriented towards your classes, but it is not required for college admissions. Each of the tests are one hour each, except for the twenty-minute essay writing portion of the SAT II. The SAT I does not include advanced mathematics topics nor does it attempt to assess higher-order thinking or reasoning skills. There are plenty of myths circulating about the SAT and the ACT— both are used in college admissions, its true, but when it comes to the actual testing itself, plenty lends itself to fact and fiction. Let’s address some frequently asked questions so there’s no more mythology regarding these two tests. Why do I have to take the SAT or ACT to get into college? Contrary to popular belief, the SATs aren’t used to measure your predicted college-freshmen year grades; test-makers have acknowledged that high-school GPAs and your class rank are a better predictor of that. In addition, the SAT I is becoming less and less required for college admissions, considering that it is an “aptitude” test that strays away from high school curricula. So, depending on where you want to go, the SAT I is required; sometimes you can take the ACT as an option, or you may not have to take either. I’d never be able to afford those expensive SAT prep courses. Do I just give up on getting a good score? Absolutely not! True, the prep-courses around the country offering to up your SAT scores by a hundred points or more are expensive, but there are ways around that. For starters, if you’re one of the fifty students who got accepted into the bi-weekly SAT prep courses, you’re getting them for free; always be sure to check with the college counseling center or your own counselor to see if another event like that is happening. Otherwise, you can always study the traditional way— by buying books. The test-makers, as well as the hundreds of test-prep companies around the country create countless volumes of “SAT Prep” material, including those with “recycled tests.” Many people do just this, taking advantage of the new editions that flood libraries every fall. Likewise, you can always go online and take sample tests, show up to the school’s PSATs, and take every other multiple-test offered at Wash. Some of these other tests are outlined below: The ASVAB You hear the words “armed services,” and the first thing you probably think is “recruiting.” If you’re not into the military scene, you might want to duck and hide, but the ASVAB, or the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is more than a recruiting test. Yes, the military does use the ASVAB under recruiting circumstances— but since anyone from sophomores to seniors can take the test, and it’s more of a career exploration test than a recruiting one (when you’re in high school, at any rate). Unlike both the SAT and the ACT, the ASVAB includes multiple sections, each timed precisely. Some of the sections might seem utterly pointless to someone totally disinterested in a military career, but the scope of things covered on the test, as well as the speed required to complete it give you a sense of what is expected in career jobs— more than just what’s on a standard aptitude test. What’s on the ASVAB? There’s “General Science,” which asks you everything from the chemical composition of water (it’s H2O ) to the name of a substance that hastens chemical reactions without undergoing a change itself; “Arithmetic Reasoning,” which asks you such things as “How many 36-passenger buses can carry 144 people?” to how many 1 foot by 1 foot boards can be produced from a larger board that is 5 feet by 5 feet; “Word Knowledge,” which tests your ability to match a word with a similar word or synonym; “Paragraph Comprehension,” which has you read a paragraph and then tests you on the context; “Numerical Operations,” which lists several basic problems (such as 3X4 and 1+1) and has you complete them in a very short period of time (about 7 minutes); “Coding Speed,” which as words with numerical equivalents on a chart, and you have to match the correct sequence of numbers with the correct word in less than 11 minutes; “Auto and Shop Information,” which tests you on your (duh) auto and shop knowledge (like what a chisel is used for, and which parts are worn when a car uses too much oil), “Mathematics Knowledge,” which tests you on general mathematics knowledge, like “If X + 6 = 7, then X =??” and you choose the correct answer from the given choices; “Mechanical Comprehension,” which tests your knowledge and understanding of mechanical principles (involving pulleys, gears, and loads); and finally, “Electronics Information,” which tests your knowledge of electronics (electricity, radio principles, and electronics). When your scores come in, they aren’t a definitive number like 970 or 14. Rather, they give you a bandwidth that approximates what you would get if you took the test again… a very helpful method. Not only that, but you get profiled into groups based on your likes, dislikes, and abilities. From there, you can use your test scores to develop a career path. The STAR-9 The STAR-9, or SAT-9, is made by the same makers of the SAT, but includes a broader spectrum of questions, including those in Social Studies and Science. The STAR-9, which is the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, also known as the Stanford-9, is issued over the course of three days at school. Attendance is always encouraged, as the schools in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) compete against one another for the best scores. The schools that improve dramatically from previous years stand to receive funding towards their school. Washington has had a record of excellent testing and student attendance on the STAR test days, which are modified from the normal schedule to encourage participation. A more in-depth look at the STAR tests and how they can help you prepare for the college admissions test will be in the next follow-up of Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3 next issue. See you there!
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